welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, december 13th. i'm catherine kobayashi. north korea leaders have provided a boost for kim jong-un. officials say they have succeeded in carrying out their latest launch and put a telle ino spe. they fired off a long range missile. the broadcaster was showing the footage continuously throughout the day on wednesday. the red characters on the white missile fuselage read the milky way in korean. the footage shows what north korea says is the control room of the tongchang-ri launch site in the northwest of the country where images of the launch are being screened. >> translator: even countries with developed satellite

technology have had many failed launches. buwe learned from e failure in april. we launched today's rocket with the conviction to succeed. >> the first stage fell into the yellow sea, west of the korean peninsula. then the nose cover fell a short distance beyond that. the second stage dropped into the pacific ocean east of the philippines. it's in an orbit used by telligence andbservation satellites. the object seems to be orbiting south north at an altitude of 494 kilometers

kim sd the launch w aim at furthering the development of intercontinental missiles. members said the north koreans had violated u.n. resolutions. >> members of the security council condemned this launch which is a clear violation of security council resolution 1718 and 1874. >> members have agreed to keep talking about how to deal with the leadership in pyongyang. susan rice says u.s. officials apprriate action.alled rtners to she said the security council may need to impose additional sanctions. experts say one reason they went what he had the launch was to get the upper hand in

negotiations with the u.s. the north koreans have developed the capability to launch missiles that could reach the u.s. mainland. i started asking about the riousness of these developments. now looking at this as a safety concern. they called the launch is provocative act. >> it undermines the global nonproliferation regime. it's regrettable that the leadership chose to take this in flagrant violation of its >> tbama administration is also alarmed that north korea is getting closer to its goal of developing a long range missile

capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. >> what further steps could the americans take? >> the u.s. had an agreement to provide north korea with food aid. the deal fell apart in april when the north korean regime went what he had a satellite lunch but was widely regarded as another u.s. missile test. talks have been unsuccessful ever since. now there's no doubt that wednesday's launch has deepened that rift but the obama administration has few choices but to continue the dialogue with nth kea while increasing pressure with

sanctions. insuring americans have stable prices and are employed, these are two goals of the chair of the u.s. reserve is charging ahead with. it seems like ben bernanke has specific numbers if mind. >> he does. he says he and his colleagues are not going to stop until they see the numbers become a reality. they will keep interest rates close to zero. that'sntil the unemployment rate falls to 6.5%. federal reserve officials gathered to discuss measures to support the committee in a two-day meeting that ended wednesday. they say it continues to expand at a moderate pace approximate while unemployment was down slightly

second-degr the aim of this program is to drive down interest rates. for its next step the fed will start buying the same amount of treasury bonds in january. that's on top of the 40 billion each month it's buying in morning bonds. analysts say it's an unprecedented move for the fed to spell out its goal to bolster the economy. after the policy board meeting the fed chairman expressed stro conrn about t fisl cliff. he urged the obama administration and congress to resolve the problem as soon as possible. >> clearly this is a major risk factor and a major source of uncertainty about the economy going forward. we would try to do what we would. we would increase a bit but i want to be clear that we cannot

offset the full impact of the fiscal cliff. it's too big given the tools we have available and the limitations on our policy tool kit a this point. >> let's get a check on the markets now. following the feds decision to take monetary easing steps, the dollar is higher against the yen. that is trading at 83.39 to 40. this is the highest level in eight months. participants are buying dollars due to receding worries after the fed's action. they are hoping the bank of japan will take action at its upcoming policy meeting next week. euro yen quoted at 108.22 to 99. japan's nikkei average went above 9700 at one point.

a weaker yen and the u.s. fed's policy decision that's what's lifting a wide range of issues here in tokyo. let's take a look at other asian markets open now. we are seeing seoul's kospi up and over in australia the benchmark is trading unchanged at 4,583. we'll see where trading takes us throughout the rest of the day. greece is buying back bonds. it exceeds the 30 billion euro target.

greece had been seeking investors willing to accept at 30 to 40% of the bond's face value. the program is designed to reduce the debt burden. analysts estimate greece will be able to shave about 20 billion euro's off its debt. this will clear the way for greece to receive a new infusion ofore th bilon eos in aid from the eu and other principal lenders. the organization of petroleum export and countries held a general meeting in vienna yesterday. representatives of the 12 oil exporters agreed to retain the current production target of 30 million barrels a day. they say supply is sufficient and prices are appropriate for the moment. prices in new york of benchmark

crude futures have been relatively stable since the summer at just around $85 a barrel. this is against a background of slower economic recovery. opec expects demand for crude to rise as the dploe ball economy picks up. some analysts say opec could consider cutting output. heres a cck on markets.

nhk special coverage japan general election is a click away. we'll be adding features to our web and mobile sites. in-depth looks on what could define the campaign. get online and get informed delegates from more than 100 countries noticed them as legitimate people. barack obama did the same thing a day earlier. the de the delegates met in morocco, the so-called friends of syria

from the u.s., european union, and various arab countries. more than 50 opposition groups formed the coalition last month. the friends of syria say the organization is now the lawful government. should step down.bashar assad delegates did not state whether they would provide weapons to the coalition. some are concerned that those weapons could fall into the hands of radicals. a spokesperson said that they believe their allies will help arm them if the situation changes. the leaders of russia and china continue to support the assad government. delegates from those countries did not attend the meeting. 20 years after the u.s. closed its last military base in the philippines, u.s. troops are out toeturn inorce. top officials from the two countries have agreed to expand the u.s. military presence in the south china sea. the goal is to serve as a counterbalance to any potential chinese ambitions in the region. u.s. assistant secretaries of

state kirk campbell took part in talks with philippine officials on maritime security and cooperation. the united states is planning to send marine units, vessels, and warplanes to the philippines and expand the scope of the joint military exercises with the country. details on t exercis andhe location of the deployment have still got to be worked out. >> we want a different kind of relationship based on mutual respect and equal partnership and that is what we have sought to do over the course of our meetings today. >> one candidate site is palawan island is a candidate. analysts say u.s. forces will, in effect, will be stationed in the philippines. they are embarking on a defense strategy that focuses on the asia pacific region. they are already standing marines in australia on a rotational basis.

the greet rift valley cuts through eastern africa. people who live along it have looked deep into the ground and seen a source of energy. steam, super heated. they are hoping it will bring a end to power shortages that hit day and night. >> reporter: kenya is a popular tourist destination in the world. hotels and office buildings have been springing up in the capital.

it's fast development has brought problems. the city's plagued with frequent blackouts. a flashlight is a must item for many people. utilities are having a hard time to meet the growing demand for electricity. that's because of their heavy reliance on hydropouter. there's no rain even during the rainy season is standing in the way. the government is scrambling to promote geothermal power which is not influenced by the weather. >> we're looking into getting into 50/50%. 50% geothermal and 50% the

others. the future is quite bright. >> reporter: tough technical problems have been keeping geothermal energy down to 50% of all power sources in kenya. that's prompted the government to turn to japan, a volcanic country. it's been trying to introduce japan's cutting edge generator turbines. he works for a power house that building in the suburbs. the project will be completed in two years. the plant is designed to generate 28,000 kilowatts of electricity. that's one quarter of the nation's power supply. the project is facing a

around the savannah are wide habitats. the area surrounding the power station and the construction is part of aild national park. kenya has come up with its own measures to protect the habitat of wild animals. they include building a pipeline that allows wild animals to pass through. they supply japan's plant technology which also embracing kenya's wisdom to protect wildlife. >> translator: i have found things t learnrom kenya. environmental consciousness, ingenuity and passion. i am hoping to help with japan's world leading technologies.

>> reporter: geothermal capture attention of the nation's own edge of the nation's rift valley as a promising edge of power. hopes are running high that this will help them rev up their engine of economic growth in the future. >> besides kenya, ethiopa plans to build one. it's been 17 years since singapore felt advancing forces. the law was a blow to britain. today singapore and japan enjoy friendly relations but efforts are under way to make sure they never forget their history.

>> reporter: the national museum of singapore documents the state. on the 70th anniversary of japan's occupation, the museum has opened the new exhibition on world war ii. sensitive issues, such as the killing of residents by japanese soldiers who suspected them of supporting the resistance in china. photographs and mementoes honor the victims. another section recalls the japanese national who saved the lives of many detainees. >> it's very impactful because it shows all of the stories through big pictures and artifacts. it's important to know about stuff that is happening in singapore. >> reporter:t waa british

colony one year into world war ii. military rule lasted for three years until japan's surrender. 67 years later, university student join a team led by a british researcher war time battlefields. they uncover bullets and parts of gas masks at sites where british and japanese forces fought harsh battles. he started archeology at college and enjoys the benefits of modern singapore but at the same time she wanted to learn about harder times that her grand parents lived through. >> it's impossible to know about what happened during the war and

why it happened and the events that led to it because it would teach us the future generation not to make the same mistake. >> reporter: the team heads for a shrine built by the japanese during the war. it was a place of worship for japanese soldiers and civilians. for local people, it was a symbol of the occupation. after the war, the shrine was dismantled and nature and reclaimed the site. students venture deep into the forest to look for what remains. they walk for 40 minutes to find a clearing and what appears to be the entrance of the shrine.

>> okay. what is this? >> this is the granite boulder. >> the main hall and gate e gone. all that remains is a stone basing where visitors purified themselves before praying. their visits makes her wonder what life was like back then. >> seeing it for yourself, it kind of create like feelings inside like it would be more worthwhile learning history in this way. >> reporter: memories of the war are fading but these young singaporeans hope that looking to the past will equip them with valuable lessons for the future. nhk world. people in northern areas of japan have been dealing with heavy snow day after day and are

likely wondering when they will get some relief. we hear when that will be in the world weather forecast. >> finally, it will be this afternoon when this snow is going to be tapering off. high pressure will be predominant crestings overhead making things much drier. this is where we are. we have a record of 194 centimeters of snowfall accumulation and 30 centimeters piled up in the past 24 hours. this leads to the very high risk of avalanche. 20 to 40 centimeters of additional snowfall could be possible in the next 24 hours. do watch out for those avalanche risks and with those snowfalling from t roof. is is vy dangerous. becoming dry into tomorrow. very dry here across much of the

pacific side. you might want to bring your items in. across china this movement system the winter storm moving in that could probably create about 10 centimeters of snow. this will be heading toward the korean peninsula. it's biting cold. usually hate the cold but it could also create some phenomenon. let's take a look at a video. freezing temperatures and snow have created this beautiful scene of rime ice. it's caused when water droplets freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. it extended for dozens of kilometers.

this area sees such a magnificent winter event. it is due to the cold. let's pull back and show you things are pretty much clear out here in the mongolia region. tokyo at 11 degrees temperature. seoul at 4. you're seeing that warming trend here. across the american continent here in florida peninsula things are still going to be on the severe side. watch out for that. hail damaging gusts are also in store. towards the west another stormy condition. this is a winter storm that will be moving in on your friday. that could be welcoming humidity. snow will fall about 20 to 30 kilometers in the higher elevations. on the other side of the jet stream minus 17 in winnipeg. moving over to the european

continent, i know there's significant stage for travel disturbances in the caribbean isle. wet and windy conditions you. we'll be seeing this cold arctic air penetrating to the further south. you're seeing about minus 16 on your friday morning. it's going to be the peak of the cold. vienna at minus three. eight degrees for your thursday. here is our extended forecast.

that concludes this edition of "newsline." do join us again.